Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 (11, Gen 8) Review – Is This the Windows Mini You’ve Been Waiting For?

Name: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 11
Brand: Lenovo

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 (11, Gen 8) Review - Is This the Windows Mini You've Been Waiting For? Page 9

From: Nikolay Palaozov 14 February 2024 / 18:04 | 1

9. Verdict

8. Storage performance Previous page Next page

Verdict

Well, folks, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 (11″, Gen 8) could be used even as a daily driver if you pick the right configuration. Ours has just 4GB of soldered memory and as you may already guess, that’s not enough even for usual tasks such as Web browsing. Still, if your device has 8GB of LPDDR5-4800MHz RAM (which is the maximum possible amount) you can expect decent performance for light usage. You can boost the overall snappiness of the gadget by choosing the Intel Processor N200 which has a bit higher clock than the Intel Processor N100 (the default CPU model).

Speaking of which, the N100 chip can maintain almost 2.80GHz and 13W in short loads which is a respectable result because this kind of usage should be the main playground of the laptop. The CPU frequency doesn’t drop down below the official base frequency even in prolonged periods of full processor load. Not bad considering the passive cooling solution.

Choose your device wisely, because the default storage is a UFS 3.1 model. On the bright side, it’s not slow – the read speeds are higher than a normal SATA SSD. If money isn’t a problem, you can get a machine with a 2242 Gen 3 slot (these devices lack UFS storage) that can house a decently fast NVMe.

This Lenovo creation left us with positive impressions. The rigidity of the body and the optional keyboard is good. The board is comfortable enough for work but the touchpad could be too small for some users. The 2K IPS display (LEN819D) sports wide viewing angles, a 5:3 aspect ratio, ~360 nits max brightness, and 98% sRGB coverage. It’s hard to ask for more in this price range. We detect PWM usage up to 100 nits but that’s fine because the pulsation frequency is really high which is safe even for long hours of work (or at least for most users).

Last but not least, the battery life of the 35.6Wh unit is long – 10 hours of Web browsing on a single charge. Expectedly, the I/O isn’t full of connectors, but the two Type-C ports seem enough for normal usage.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-duet-3-11-gen-8/